Playing Tips From: "The Official Pickleball Handbook"     

2nd Edition and the Future 3rd Edition

by Mark Friedenberg

Use a Forehand When Returning Serve 

When returning serve position yourself so that you use your forehand. Your forehand strokes are stronger and more accurate than your backhand! It's very easy to do! Position yourself to the left of the serving square (if right-handed) and to the right (if left-handed). You will improve your game immensely!

 

 

Keep Your Paddle Up 

Watch where players position their paddle before they return the ball or when they move to the net. They do the "Caveman Walk." They run around as if they are carrying a heavy club!  Their paddle is probably positioned low (below the waist). You must position your paddle at your chest. When a hard smash is directed at the chest, these Cavemen (and women) will not have the time to raise their paddle and then strike the ball. By doing this one thing you will improve your net game tremendously. What I do is hold the paddle up to my chest using my left hand.

Face the Action (The Ball)

Picture this example. In baseball, the shortstop and second basemen standing parallel to the baseline. They actually face the action! The action is coming from home plate, where the batter stands. In other words, the shortstop and second basemen are ANGLED toward the action, which is home plate. 

If the action (i.e., the ball) is directly across the net from you, you will face the ball, the net and your opponent.  Most players have no problem with that.  The problem arises when the action is in your opponent’s court diagonally across from you.  Most players will continue to face the net or the opponent directly across the net.  This is WRONG!  You MUST angle yourself to face the ball.  Facing the action allows you to keep the play directly in front of you.  This is a very common problem, even for the best pickleball players.

Look at my feet (upper right player)! Facing the action will make your return shots quicker and easier – especially for a forehand put-away.  I have seen some players use a backhand because they're not in position (facing the action) to use their forehand, resulting in a weaker return.  If you are not angled properly, then you must use more body movements in returning the ball.  Net action can be fast and furious.  During net volleys time is critical!. If you face the action, you will be ready for the action and have more time to think put-away... If you don’t face the action, you risk losing points to your opponents because you are not ready to return the ball quick enough! Time is critical!

Anticipate Your Opponent’s Shots and Moves

By correctly anticipating your opponent’s shot and moves, you gain opportunities to win points.  Your game plan requires you to analyze your opponent during pre-game warm-up and even during game time.  Look for tendencies.  Tendencies are certain habits that your opponent displays.  To anticipate your opponent's shots and moves, you must be able to “read” these tendencies.  In addition to looking for tendencies, you will want to read the direction of your opponent’s shot.  This is a very important part of your game!  You don’t want to be the one chasing down the ball.  You want your opponent to do the running. 

 To anticipate direction and shot type, focus on your opponent’s paddle as it hits the ball. 

Here is some additional help:

1. Watch the ANGLE of your opponent’s paddle as it hits the ball.  It is the best indicator of your opponent’s shot direction.  It will tell you where the ball will land in your court.
2. Is the paddle face slightly open for backspin?
3. Is the paddle face slightly closed for a topspin shot?
4. Is the paddle raised above the head for an overhead smash? 
5. Is the paddle parallel to the floor, signifying a lob? 
6. Watch the position of your opponent’s feet.  This can also indicate your opponent’s general shot direction.

Here is some additional help when looking for tendencies:          

1. Where does your opponent like to hit the ball?  To your backhand, forehand, down the center or away from you down the sidelines?
2. When you take the net does your opponent consistently use a lob, drop shot or a passing shot down the sidelines?
3. Does your opponent “give away” his shot by making a certain move or motion before he hits the ball? During a lob, drop-volley, a drive shot or an overhead smash?
4. When does your opponent use his forehand and backhand drive shots, lob or drop shot?

Anticipating where your opponent will hit the ball takes lots of practice.  Don’t be discouraged if you guess wrong! If you guess right more than 50 percent of the time then you are doing fine.  Even if you do guess wrong, then you must believe that there is plenty of time to recover and create a respectable return shot.

Limit Your Errors

It was only after losing the championship round of a singles tournament, that I truly understood the game of pickleball.  You see, I thought that I was really good!  But my opponent tracked down and returned everything that I hit.  He forced me into making several errors.  That’s how he made his points.  Yes, he did have several winning shots but I made most of his points!  He made me look very stupid!  But I did learn a very important lesson.  If you keep the ball in play, you force your opponent into either committing an error or earning the point.

In today’s pickleball I notice that there are 2 basic styles of play:

1. The “smash-mouth” player, who plays like the tennis professional and smashes everything hard and directly at you.  This style of play usually doesn’t work against a good player.  These players will hit most of their shots into the net or out of bounds.
2. The “in your face” player, who returns everything you hit.  Thus, causing you to make the mistakes.

Which style are you?  Or, are you a mixture of both?

Limiting your errors is the most important strategy in this book.  Here are some statistics:

1. Three of every four rallies (75 percent) are won (or lost) because of errors.  
2. One of every four rallies (25 percent) are actually earned or won by a good shot.
3. Three out of every four errors (75 percent) are made at the baseline by hitting the ball into the net or out of bounds.

The point is, by limiting your errors you improve your chances of winning rallies.  There are two types of errors, physical errors and mental errors.

Physical Errors

Physical errors are errors in which you:

1. Hit the ball into the net.
2. Hit the ball out of bounds.
3. Whiff – swing at but miss the ball.

Don’t try to make the perfect serve or return.  Don’t try to “kill” the ball.  Hitting the ball into the net and hitting the ball out of bounds, especially on the return of serve, are the most common errors in pickleball.  Keep the ball in play.  Get the ball back into your opponent’s court and force your opponent into committing the errors.  Remember that you can't score points by hitting the ball into the net or out of bounds!  This game is not about power but one of shot placement.  If you get one or two more returns into your opponent’s court, it just may be the difference you need to win the game and match.  Make your opponent earn the points.  Don’t play “Santa Claus” and give them away!